Shloka 15
The Glory of the Brāhmaṇa
Brāhmaṇa-Mahimā and Pādodaka Merit
शूद्रो भीमो द्वापरे च ब्रह्महत्यासहस्रकृत् । निष्ठुरः सर्वदा तुष्टः समहान्वैश्यया पुनः
śūdro bhīmo dvāpare ca brahmahatyāsahasrakṛt | niṣṭhuraḥ sarvadā tuṣṭaḥ samahānvaiśyayā punaḥ
ദ്വാപരയുഗത്തിൽ ഭീമൻ ശൂദ്രനായി, ബ്രഹ്മഹത്യ സഹസ്രം പ്രാവശ്യം ചെയ്തവൻ; സ്വഭാവത്തിൽ നിഷ്ഠുരൻ, എപ്പോഴും സ്വയംതൃപ്തൻ, പിന്നെയും ഒരു വൈശ്യസ്ത്രീയോടു ചേർന്നു।
Unclear from single-verse context (likely within the Pulastya–Bhīṣma dialogue frame typical of Padma Purāṇa narration).
Concept: Grave pāpa (brahmahatyā) and cruel self-satisfaction harden the mind; adharmic unions and conduct deepen bondage rather than providing refuge.
Application: Avoid complacency in wrongdoing; seek accountability, confession, and corrective vows/charity; choose relationships aligned with dharma.
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A stark moral portrait of Bhīma in the Dvāpara age: a fearsome man with hardened eyes stands amid the shadows of his own deeds, while ghostly silhouettes of slain brāhmaṇas and broken sacrificial fires flicker behind him like accusations. Beside him, a troubled household scene hints at an adharmic union, emphasizing inner corruption rather than romance.","primary_figures":["Bhīma (as depicted in this Purāṇic episode)","shadow-forms of brāhmaṇas (symbolic)","Vaiśyā woman (symbolic presence)"],"setting":"A dim village edge or desolate courtyard with extinguished yajña-kuṇḍas, scattered kusa grass, and a blood-red horizon.","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["ash gray","blood maroon","dull iron black","smoky violet","sallow ochre"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: dramatic moral allegory with Bhīma centrally placed, heavy gold leaf used not as celebration but as harsh highlights on weapons and ritual vessels; deep maroons and blacks, stylized flames behind, and symbolic broken yajña implements to signify brahmahatyā.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: restrained yet intense scene with cool night tones, Bhīma’s stern profile, faint spectral figures in the background, and minimal architecture; delicate brushwork conveys moral tension rather than gore.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, intense facial expression, red-black-yellow palette; Bhīma framed by stylized flames and ominous cloud motifs, with symbolic brāhmaṇa silhouettes rendered as pale outlines.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: an unusual ‘anti-mahātmya’ caution panel—central figure surrounded by dark lotus medallions and thorny floral borders; peacocks replaced by austere motifs, deep indigo and maroon emphasizing the warning tone."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low drum (mridang)","distant thunder","crackling fire","tense silence between lines"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: samahānvaiśyayā = sa + mahān + vaiśyayā (a + m- assimilation; written as samahān-).
FAQs
Brahmahatyā literally means the killing of a brāhmaṇa and is treated in Dharma literature as a grave sin; here it is intensified as “brahmahatyāsahasrakṛt,” ‘one who has done it a thousand times,’ to stress extreme wrongdoing.
The name “Bhīma” appears, but without surrounding narrative it is not certain whether it refers to the Pāṇḍava Bhīma or another figure sharing the same name; confirming requires the preceding/following verses of Adhyāya 14.
It portrays a person marked by severe sin and harsh disposition, implying that character and actions (karma) have serious moral consequences, and that complacency (“sarvadā tuṣṭaḥ”) can accompany ethical decline.